Acetylene-gas generator.



C. W. HOLM.

AOETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.3, 1910.

Patented July 16, 1912.

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COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO.,WASHINOTON, D. c.

C. W. HOLM.

AGETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.3, 1910. 1,032,676.- Patented July 16, 1912.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

,Z'ZKZM COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH Co WASHINGTON, D; c.

Patented July 16, 1912.

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avwentcn attoznw G. W. HOLM.

AOETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

APPLICATION IILELD YEB.3, 1910 COLUMBIA PLANDCIRAPH 60.. WASHINGTON. D. c.

Wilma/awn CHARLES W. HOLIVI, OIE TROY, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE TROY AOETYLENE COMPANY,

OF TROY, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

AOETYLENE-GAS GENERATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 16, 1912.

Application filed February 3, 1910. Serial No. 541,817.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CI-IARLEs WV. HoLiu, a citizen of the United States, residing at Troy, in the county of Miami and State of bio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Acetylene-GasGenerators, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to acetylene gas generators of that class in which the carbid is fed in small quantities or charges into a quantity of water which is contained in the generating chamber.

The object of the invention is to provide means for feeding the carbid to the water in measured quantities and to so control the discharge of this measured quantity of carbid as to cause the same to be fed gradually into the water, this gradual feeding of the carbid being controlled by the movement of the gasometer; further, to provide the feeding mechanism with a positive cut-off which will effectually prevent the escape of carbid therefrom; and further, to provide means for discharging the carbid into the water in such a manner as to prevent it from coming in contact with the walls of the casing, in which the feeding mechanism is mounted.

I It is also an object of the invention to so connect this feedm mechanism to the gaso-meter that it will be easily and positively actuated.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 1s apparatus embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the lower portion of the feed hopper and the feeding mechanism; Fig. 8 is a transverse, sectional view, taken on the line 09 a: of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a vertical, sectional view, taken on the line 3 g of Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the carbid bucket and its cooperating devices.

In these drawings I have illustrated one embodiment of my invent-ion and have shown the same as comprising a cylindrical casing 1 having a horizontal partition 2 arranged some distance above the bottom of the casing and dividing the same into upper and lower compartments, the lower compartment 3 forming the generating chamber a side elevation, partly in section, of an and being adapted to contain normally a quantity of water. The upper compartment 4 has mounted therein the inverted bell or gasometer 5 and also has formed therein a feeding chamber consisting of a cylindrical casing 6 mountedon the partition 2 and ex tending to a point near the top of the easing 1 and above the level of the water in the compartments 4. This casing communicates with the generating chamber 3 by means of an opening 7 formed in the partition 2, this openin being preferably of a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the casing itself. A bell or closure 8 extends over the upper end of the cylindrical casing 6 and to a point considerably beneath the level of the water in the upper compartment 4 which thus forms an effective seal to prevent the escape of the gas from the chamber through the casing 6. A carbid receptacle or hopper 9 is mounted in the upper part of the casing 6, extends some distance below the top thereof, and has its lower end tapered or conical in shape, as shown at 10, and provided with a discharge spout 11 which is here shown as substantially square in cross section.

Suitable means are provided for receiving a measured quantity of carbid from the hopper 9 and dischargin the same gradually through the opening? into the generating chamber 3, this means being controlled by the rise and fall of the gasometer 5. In the form of the device here shown a bucket 12, which moves in a horizontal plane, is supported in the casing 6 beneath the discharge spout 11 of the hopper 9 and is normally supported in such a position as to re ceive the carbid from said discharge spout. This bucket has a pivoted bottom 13 which is so arranged and controlled that, when the bucket is beneath the discharge spout 11, the bottom will be in its closed position, but, when the bucket has been moved awa from the discharge spout, the bottom 13 will open of its own weight. This bucket is here shown as having a rearwardly extending portion let arranged near the upper edge thereof and in such relation to the discharge spout 11 as to extend beneath and close to that discharge spout when the bucket 12 is moved from beneath the same and thus form a cut-0E which will effectually prevent the escape of carbid from the hopper when the bucket 12 is in its discharging position. The bottom 13 is here-shown as pivotally mounted on adjustable lugs 13 carried by the under side of the extension orcut-ofi 1% at a point immediately in the rear of the bucket 12. The bucket and its extension or cut-off may be supported in any suitable manner. In the present instance an arm 15 extends across the cut-off immediately in'the rear of the bucket proper and is rigidly secured thereto. One end of this arm extends be yond the side of the cut-off and is pivotally mounted on a verticalstud 16 supported in brackets 17 secured to the lower portion of the cylindrical wall of the hopper which extends downwardly to a point near the lower end of the conical portion thereof.

A fixed support is provided to maintain the pivoted bottom or shelf 13 in its closed position whenthe bucket is beneath the hopper and this support is here shown as a bar 18 carried by rods 19 depending from the hopper 9. This bar is liere shown as having a centrally arranged stud 20 which is supported in such a position as to engage the under sideof the bottom 13, and, when the bucket is beneath the discharge spout of the hopper, to support that bottom in its closed position. The arrangement of the bar 18 and the stud 20 is such, however, as to permit the bottom to open by gravity as the bucket is moved away from the discharge spout. In order to prevent the bottom from opening or partially opening be fore the bucket has been moved completely away from the discharge spout and thus permitting the carbid to pass directly from the hopper through the open bottom of the bucket I have arranged at one side of the path through which the bucket travels a lug or bracket 21 carriedat one end of an arm 22 which is pivotally supported in bearings 23 secured to and depending from the walls of the hopper 9 and is held normally in a substantially horizontal position by a stop 21 This bracket is so arranged as to extend beneath and support a laterally extending projection 241, carried by the bottom 18, when the bucket has moved partially from beneath the discharge spout of the hoper The bracket is of such a width as to hold the bottom in its closed position until the bucket is moved completely away from the discharge spout, when the projection 24: will move beyond the bracket 21 and the bottom will drop into its open position. As the bucket moves rearwardly or into position beneath the discharge spout the stud 20 will engage the under side of the bottom 13 and move the same upwardly about its pivotal center. As it moves upwardly the projection 2% will engage the under side of the bracket 21 and the arm 22 carrying this bracket will move about its pivotal center to permit the bottom and the projection 2a carried thereby to continue their movement.

An inclined chute or shed 25 having upwardly extending side portions or flanges 26 is supported by means of arms 27 dey pending from the hopper 9, in such a position as to receive the carbid discharge from the bucket 12 and so deflectthe same that it will pass through the opening 7 into" the generating chainber 3 without. coming into contact with the walls of the casing 6. When the entire charge of carbid is thrown directly from the bucket 12 into the water in the generating chamber a considerable quantity of gas is generated suddenly with undesirable results, and, in order to avoid this I have provided means for retarding the passage ofthe carbid from the bucket to the generating chamber so as to cause the same to feed gradually into the water, this feeding of the carbid being controlled by the rise of the gasometer.

In the present construction I have shown a shelf 28 pivotally mounted between the upwardly extending portions of the flanges 26 of the chute 25 and so arranged that, when in a substantially horizontal position, it will act as a stop and will retain a portion of the carbid, which has been discharged from the bucket 12, on the chute. The arrangement of the shelf is such, however, that it will not retain all of the carbid on the chute but will permit a portion of the same to pass to the generating chamber, this portion escaping under the inner edge of the shelf or over the outer edge thereof. This shelf is so connected to the bucket 12 that, when the bucket is in its discharging position, the shelf will be substantially horizontal, and, as the bucket returns to its normal position beneath the discharge spout of the hopper, the shelf will be moved into an inclined position, thus causing the carbid to feed gradually from the chute to the generating chamber. In the present instance the shelf 28 is rigidly mounted on a shaft 29 journaled in the side members 26 of the chute and having an upwardly extending arm 30 which extends loosely through a slotted lug 31 projecting from the side of the bucket 12, the arrangement of the arm being such that, when the bucket is in its discharging position, the shelf will be substantially horizontal. Movement is imparted to the shaft 29 and arm 30 by means of a lever 32 rigidly secured to the arm 30 near the lower end thereof and having its outer or free end connected to a rod 33 which extends upwardly along the side of the hopper 9 to a point above the top of the casing 6 and has at its upper end an outwardly extending finger 34:. This finger is connected to the upper end of a U-sh'ap'ed rod 35 which extends downwardly between the casing and the bell 8 and then upwardly on the outer side of the bell 8 to a point above the top of the main receptacle 1. This rod is connected at its upper end to a lever 36 which is operatively connected tothe gasometer 5. In the present instance the lever 36 is pivotally supportedon a standard 37 secured to one side of the casing 1 and extends across the top of the casing above the gasometer 5 and has its end extending between two pins 38 carried by upwardly extending lugs 39 secured to the top of the gasometer. The pins 38 are spaced apart a distance sufficient to permit the rod 36 to assume different positions relative to the gasometer as the latter rises and falls. That portion of the lever 36 which extends beyond the standard 37 is bent upon itself, as shown at 40 and has its inner end connected by means of a spring 41 with a finger 42 which is secured to the rod 35 and tends to move the same upwardly. The upper end of this rod may be connected to the lever 36 in any suitable manner, but I have here shown the rod as provided with a bracket 43, on which is pivotally mounted a plate 143 extending transversely to the lever 36 and having connected thereto an arm 144 which carries a counterbalancing weight 145, which weight tends to maintain the plate 143 in a vertical position.

The rod 36 is notched to receive the plate 143 and prevent the lever 36 from sliding thereon. Thus, it will be apparent that, as the gasometer rises, the lever 36 will be moved about its pivotal support on the standard 37 and will have a certain amount 'of movement transversely to the rod 35, but

the pivoted plate 143, upon which the lever 36 rests, will move about its pivotal center to permit this movement of the lever 36 and there will be no sliding of the one part upon the other, and, consequently, no friction between the parts. The spring 41 serves to maintain the pivoted plate 143 in engagement with the lever 36, and, consequently, the rod 35 follows the movement, either up or down, of the lever 36 as the gasometerrises and falls, and therefore, positions of the shelf 28 and the bucket 12 are controlled by the rise and fall of the gasometer.

Water may be fed into the generating chamber 3 in any suitable manner, but, as here shown, a feed pipe 44 extends from the generating chamber 3 through the partition 2 and to a point above the water level in the upper compartment 4. This pipe is sup ported from the inner walls of the compartment by means of brackets 45. The pipe is provided with one or more apertures 46 arranged just above the normal level of the water in the upper compartment 4. Consequently, the rise of the water in this compartment will cause the same to overflow through the pipe 44 into the generating chamber 3. In order to secure the full value of all the carbid and prevent the same from accumulating in a pile at the bottom of the generating chamber before every portion thereof has been fully acted upon by the water I supply an agitator consisting of one or more blades 47 secured to the lower end of a rod 48 which extends up through the pipe 44 and is provided with a handle 45) for actuating the same to stir or agitate the accumulation of partially consumed carbid contained within the generator. The gas escapes from the generating chamber 3 through the pipe 50 into the gasometer 5. This pipe 50 extends to a point above the water level in the chamber 4, and, consequently, within the gasometer 5 and has surrounding the upper end thereof a floating hood or sleeve 51, the lower end of which extends to a point below the level of the water in the gasometer. This hood or sleeve is of a diameter somewhat greater than the diameter of the pipe 50 and the gas escaping from the pipe is deflected downwardly by the hood, and, as it escapes from the lower end thereof, is forced to pass through the water before it can escape into the gasometer and is thus washed and cleansed from impurities. To more effectually wash the gas I have mounted on the lower end of the hood 51 a casing 52 of a considerably greater diameter than the hood or sleeve and having an opening 53 formed in the lower end thereof adjacent to the lower end of the hood or sleeve 51. This casing is also preferably provided with an annular flange 53 depending therefrom at the outer edge of the opening therein and arranged in such a position as to be engaged by the gas passing from the lower end of the hood and to deflect the same through the opening into the casing, from which it escapes through openings 54 formed in the casing below the water level. By thus causing the gas to pass through a circuitous course it is maintained longer in contact with the water and is more thoroughly washed. The gas escapes from the gasometer through an outlet pipe 55 which is connected by a condenser 71 with the house pipe 56, which pipe is pro-- vided with the usual purifier 57. The gasometer is provided with the usual depending pipe 58 which telescopes the blow-off pipe 59 and normally extends below the level of the water in the gasometer, but, under abnormal pressure, will rise to such a height as to permit the passage of the gas through the blow-01f pipe. To remove the residuum from the generating chamber, a pump 60 is provided, which has a suction pipe 61 extending into said chamber. This pipe has an opening normally closed by a gate 62. A rotatable rod 64 and a rod 68 are provided for locking such gate in closed position.

The operation of the generator will be readily understood from the foregoing descript-ion and, briefly, is as follows: WVhen the parts are in their normal position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, the bucket 12 will be immediately beneath the discharge opening in the ho per and the hinged bottom of the bucket w1ll be closed. The bucket having beenfilled with carbid a further flow of carbid from the hopper will be prevented. As the gasometer moves clownward the arm 34 will be moved downward and the rod 30 rocked about its axis, this rod being connected with the bucket will gradually move the same forward until the hinged bottom of the bucket passes beyond the lug 20 and is free to move about its pivotal center. Before the bucket reaches this position the cut-off carried by the bucket will eX- tend across the under side of the mouth of the hopper, thus preventing any flow of carbid therefrom whilethe bottom of the bucket is in its open position. Then the bottom of the bucket drops into its open position the carbid in the bucket will be discharged onto the chute 25. When the bucket and its open bottom are in these positions, the shelf 28 will be approximately horizontal and, consequently, will retain in the chute a considerable portion of the carbid, the remainder of the carbid dropping into the water inthe generator. The generation of gas will immediately follow, and, as the gasometer rises, the rod 30 will be moved in a'direction to return the bucket to its position beneath the discharge mouth of the hopper and, at the same time, the shelf 28 will be moved to an inclined position, thus causing that portion of the carbid which was retained in the chute to be gradually discharged into the water. It will be apparent that the carbid will be fed into the water in the generating chamber in measured quantities and that each charge or measured quantity will be gradually fed into the water, thus preventing the sudden generation of a large quantity of gas; that the carbid will be fed from the hopper to the generating chamber without coming into contact with the walls of the casing; and that the feeding of the carbid to the generating chamber will be controlled by the rise and fall of the gasometer, the fall of the gasometer serving to cause the bucket 12 to discharge a quantity of carbid on the chute 25, while the rise of the gasometer causes this carbid to be fed gradually into the generating chamber. It will also be apparent that by so mounting the bucket-that it will swing in a substantially horizontal plane I am enabled to utilize a fiat-bottomed bucket and to so support the same in its closed position that there will be no tendency on the part of the hinged bottom thereof to open when the bottom of the bucket becomes worn by reason of its contact with the supporting member.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having thus fully described my inven tion, what I claim as new and desire to se cure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a generator of the character described, the combination, with a receptacle forming a generating chamber, a gasometer, and a hopper adapted to contain a quantity of carbid, of means for feeding the carbid from said hopper, and means operatively connected to the gasometer to retard the passage of the carbid to the generating chamber and gradually feed the same thereto, said retarding action being lessened as the gasometer rises. v

2. In a generating chamber of the character described, the combination, with a receptacle forming a generating chamber, a gasometer, a hopper adapted to contain a quantity of carbid, and means controlled by the descent of the gasometer for discharging carbid from said hopper, of a movable stop for retarding the passage of the carbid to said generating chamber, and means controlled by said gasometer for changing the position of said stop and causing it to gradually feed carbid to the generating chamber as said gasometer rises.

3. In a generator of the character described, the combination, with a receptacle forming a generating chamber, and a hopiper adapted to contain a quantity of carbid, a bucket movably supported beneath said hopper and adapted to receive a quantity of carbid from said hopper, means for moving said bucket away from said hopper and causing it to discharge the carbid contained therein, and a cut-off adapted to be moved under said hopper as said bucket is moved away therefrom, of a chute to receive the carbld discharged from said bucket, a shelf movably mounted on said chute to retard the passage of carbid therefrom, and means controlled by the rise of the gasometer to cause said shelf to gradually feed carbid to the generating chamber. 7

4. In a generator of the character described, the combination, with a receptacle forming a generating chamber, and a hop-' per adapted to contain a quantity of carbid, of means for intercepting a portion only of the carbid discharged from said hopper and feeding such intercepted portion gradually to the generating chamber. p

5. In a generator of the character described, the combination, with a receptacle forming a generating chamber, and a hopper adapted to contain a quantity of carbid, of a casing, means in said casing for intercepting a portion only of the carbid discharged from said hopper and feeding such intercepted portion gradually to the generating chamber, and means for preventing the carbid from coming into contact with the Walls of said casing.

6. In a generator of the character described, the combination, With a generating chamber, and a gas bell, of a carbid hopper, means for discharging a measured quantity of carbid from said hopper, and means controlled by the rise of the gas bell for intercepting a portion of the carbid so discharged, permitting the remainder to pass to the generating chamber Without interruption and gradually feeding the inter cepted portion of the carbid thereto.

7. In a generator of the character described, the combination, With a receptacle forming a generating chamber, a hopper adapted to contain a quantity of carbid, and means for discharging a quantity of carbid from said hopper, of a movable shelf for re tar-ding the passage of carbid to the generating chamber, and means to cause said shelf to assume a substantially horizontal position when carbid is being discharged from said hopper and to move from said substantially horizontal position and gradually feed car-bid to the generating chamber and to return to it again before more carbid can be discharged from said hopper.

In testimony whereof, I. aifix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

CHARLES l/V. HOLM. Witnesses ORVILLE D. Home, CLARA M. WHITAKER.

Gopies 01 this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the commissioner of Patents,

5 Washington, D. G. 

